How the prion protein works

Two studies led by SISSA describe its function

Two new studies coordinated by SISSA reveal important details about the physiological function of the prion protein, the non-pathological form of the notorious prion, the degenerate protein responsible for several diseases including “mad cow disease”. According to the new findings, the protein in its physiological form serves the important function of promoting the growth of neurites, the neural projections along which nerve impulses travel. The two studies ideally complement each other in that one, published in the Journal of Cell Science, provides a general overview and the other, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, focuses on a specific stage in the process, which it describes with unprecedented completeness and detail.